The Great Fish Award is presented each year to an organization that participated in the Great Fish Community Challenge and demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm, and creativity during the Challenge, as well as strong support for the Great Fish Community Challenge Color Run. This award is accompanied by a $5,000 grant.
This year, the Great Fish Award was given to the North Valley Music School. The North Valley Music School has shown consistent readiness for the fundraising campaign and organizes a strong campaign from start to finish. Even though they are fairly small, they have shown that they have sturdy inner-workings and a growing base of support. Their Board of Directors not only gives, but actively encourages and succeeds in persuading others in the community to give. This organization had the second largest number of donations during the 2018 campaign–a large number of which were from donors who were new to the Challenge.
Throughout the campaign we saw them promoting the Great Fish Community Challenge in all of their newsletters, in the newspaper, on social media, at their events, and with signage in front of their building. They always have an exciting and interactive booth at the Color Run, and have organized the music for this event for the past few years. Their Executive Director has been the Color Run emcee and works to maintain a high level of excitement at the event. Many donors to the North Valley Music School pay to take lessons and yet they still give because they believe in the mission of the North Valley Music School. They have made it possible for so many of our local children to discover their passion for music, pursue musical careers, and carry this skill and passion into adulthood. Congratulations to North Valley Music School for being the 2018 recipient of the Great Fish Award!